A winery steeped in history, Robert Biale has roots in the 1930s where Pietro Biale planted Zinfandel on the Napa Valley floor. HIs son, Aldo, took over making wine during the Prohibition, using the code name ‘Black Chicken.’ Aldo’s Vineyard still stands today in Napa and is one of the premium vineyard sites that Robert Biale sources from, as well as esteemed spots like the Monte Rosso Vineyard and the Stagecoach Vineyard. I have loved these wines for years that are truly one of a kind and a throwback to old-school Zinfandel that shows not only good concentration but fantastic, bright acidity.
Winemaker David Natali is a New York native, David graduated from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service and developed a passion for winemaking after bottling at a friend’s small winery. He formerly served as cellar hand at Clos Pegase Winery and later studied at the University of Montpellier in France, where he received his master’s degree in Viticulture and Enology. After two and a half years of living and studying abroad in Montpellier, France, and Udine, Italy, David returned to California. He became the Assistant Winemaker for La Rochelle Winery, later taking the Assistant Winemaker position at Robert Biale Vineyards. He managed the cellar and lab’s daily operations to implement new winemaking techniques under the guidance of Winemaker Tres Goetting. In 2022, David was promoted to Head Winemaker. While David replaced a world-class winemaker, he is making a name for himself at Biale. The last two sets of releases come from the difficult 2022 vintage which saw a heat dome at harvest which led to intense heat spikes and early picking decisions. Despite this David did an amazing job maintaining acidity in the wines. These are wines that are concentrated, plush and very enjoyable now. I love the 2022 Robert Biale ‘Monte Rosso Vineyard’ Zinfandel (OB, 94) which is a killer effort from this mountaintop spot. Learn more about this storied Napa property at http://biale.com Here are the great new wines by Robert Biale.
2022 Robert Biale ‘Pagani Ranch’ Zinfandel- The 2022 ‘Pagani Ranch’ comes from this site that was planted by Felice Pagani back in 1920. Today this historic site for Zinfandel is operated by his granddaughter. Very concentrated in the glass, this offers black raspberry and bramble on the nose alongside shades of black licorice and salty soils. The palate is soft and refined with generous red and dark fruits alongside milk chocolate and leafy accents. This is already nicely evolved stuff that will drink well over the next ten years. Drink 2024-2034- 94
2022 Robert Biale ‘Royal Punishers’ Petite Sirah- Year after year, the Robert Biale ‘Royal Punishers’ is one of the great Petite Sirah wines that you will taste out of the Napa Valley. This 2022 edition is more evolved than most from the heat spikes at harvest. Generous and heady, this offers gorgeous black currants and blueberry compote flavors that meld well with iodine, graphite, tar and dark chocolate shavings. Full-bodied, enjoy this delicious rendition of this wine now and over the next ten years. Drink 2024-2034- 94
2022 Robert Biale ‘Grande Vineyard’ Zinfandel- An ancient site for California Zinfandel, the Grande Vineyard was planted by an immigrant from Venice, Theodore Grande, back in 1920. White pepper and chocolate mark the nose alongside blackberry fruits and shades of sage. The palate is soft and refined with a generous mouthfeel and good sense of weight and length. Drink 2024-2034- 94
2022 Robert Biale ‘Monte Rosso Vineyard’ Zinfandel- A hilltop site that is very large, the Monte Rosso Vineyard is considered to be one of the outstanding, historic sites in Sonoma County. Blackcurrants, allspice and milk chocolate mark the nose alongside its herbal undertones and freshly tilled volcanic soils. The palate is plush with a refined texture and a lengthy finish. Fantastic now, enjoy over the next ten years to come. Drink 2024-2034- 94
2022 Robert Biale ‘Aldo’s Vineyard’ Zinfandel- The tiny ‘Aldo’s Vineyard’ is set right outside the town of Napa in the Oak Knoll Vineyard. Vines here were planted back in 1937. This is juicy and rich Zinfandel with bright red cherry and red raspberry notes alongside thyme, exotic spices and shades of chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, with bright acidity, enjoy now and over the next ten years. Drink 2024-2034- 94
2022 Robert Biale ‘Beatty Ranch’ Zinfandel- The Beatty Ranch Vineyard is set on Howell Mountain as this high elevation site overlooks the Napa floor. This shows a pretty core of red fruit flavors on the palate with a soft mouthfeel and bright orange zest notes alongside rocky soils. Medium to full-bodied, enjoy now and over the next eight to ten years to come. Drink 2024-2034- 93